Difficult to open packages can be of concern to consumers, particularly those with limited manual dexterity and/or eyesight. Although a product may be excellent, if it is in a package that is hard to open, a consumer may settle for another product that is in an easier to open package.
Products, especially those that are small and/or intended for a single use, are traditionally packaged in sachets and the like. Sachets generally comprise two layers that are releasably held together with a seal or seals to form an interior cavity. The interior cavity may contain products such as towelettes, creams, medicaments, adhesive strips, ointments, and the like.
The layers of a sachet may be peeled apart in order to access the product within. This is typically accomplished by gripping a sachet at one end by each of its layers and exerting a pulling force. As the peel force(s) of the sachet's seal(s) are overcome by the pulling force, the sachet's layers are separated, and the product is ideally exposed to the consumer for removal.
Sachets that are currently used for packaging products typically have a seal or seals with constant peel forces located along the longitudinal side edges of the sachet. If a constant pulling force is exerted to peel apart the layers of this type of sachet, momentum may be gained such that the rate of peeling increases as the sachet progressively opens. A momentum gain can have several negative consequences. For example, when the other end of the sachet is reached, the layers may unintentionally be peeled completely apart. As a result, the product may simply fall out of the sachet. If the pulling force is great enough, the product may be ejected some distance from the sachet. In either case, the consumer is relegated to searching for, finding and picking up the product before it may be used. This can be particularly difficult in an environment with low lighting, high moisture and/or if the product has landed in a hard to reach area such as a sink drain. The difficulty may be compounded by a consumer's limited vision and/or manual dexterity.
There remains a need for packages including sachets and the like that may be peeled open in a controlled fashion to expose the product within for removal by the consumer. There remains a need for such packages to have an easily identifiable means of opening. There remains a need for such packages to have grip tabs that provide a means of peeling the packages open in moist environments such as bathrooms.